IT’S called crusher dust and there’s 6000 tonnes of it in the process of being laid as the racing surface at Bathurst’s new $7.5 million harness racing complex.
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A fleet of tip trucks from Divall’s Earthmoving and Bulk Haulage were on hand at the facility yesterday to start the massive job of putting the all-important finishing touches on the project.
They had made the trip here from their base at Goulburn, and expect to have the job completed in about two weeks.
Paul Sherley is leading the team from Divall’s, and says this surface is being used because of its success at the trotting track at Goulburn.
He said the product is sourced from Marulan, east of Goulburn, and is known as crusher dust, a waste product from crushed blue metal (volcanic basalt) used on bitumen roads.
The dust contains about 80 per cent dust and 20 per cent fine grit and will be laid 200 millimetres thick.
“The grader’s got a GPS and it gets the angles spot on. It goes from a five per cent fall on the straights to 10 per cent on the bends,” Mr Sherley said.
“The track’s 18 metres wide, so there is a lot of product to be put down.
“We’ve had trucks carrying about 30 tonne each running for a couple of months stockpiling the dust. That’s about 200 round trips of about seven-and-a-half hours.
“Once the dust is spread, we use plenty of water then a pad roller and finally a smooth drum roller to finish it off.”
Mr Sherley said laying the racing surface was the “nuts and bolts” of the project.
“You can have everything else looking good, but this is what it’s all about. They want the horses to run fast times and that’s why we’re here.”
The new facility will host its inaugural meeting on Friday, October 10.
The club is also planning a special promotion to coincide with the last meeting at the Bathurst Show-ground on Sunday, September 21.
Club CEO Danny Dwyer said it will be the end of 104 years of racing at the showground.